Packard was always known for building quality, high-end cars. However, the U.S. economy was still in trouble in the 1930s as the country was working to emerge from the Great Depression. To stay afloat, Packard needed to build a less expensive car that would find more buyers. Thus, the One-Twenty (aka Packard Six) was born in 1935, the first Packard since the 1920s with a six-cylinder engine and it could be had for as little as $880 new. This 1939 Packard Six Business Coupe was stored in a chicken barn, of all places, and the seller has gotten it running again. This sweet find is located in Auburn, California (near Sacramento) and has been listed here on Craigslist for a stout $44,000.
The Packard brand first came to life in 1899 and represented luxurious automobiles for more than half a century. Times were hard for the “independents” in the ‘50s and Packard acquired Studebaker in 1953. This move ended up helping neither company, with the last Packard-badged cars being built in 1958 (which were actually Studebakers). The pilot light for the Studebaker marque would go out eight years later.
Packard’s decision to build a less expensive car in the ‘30s somewhat back-fired as Packard began to be perceived as something less exclusive than it had been. The Packard Six had a run from 1935-37 and again for 1939-41. The flathead six-cylinder had a displacement of 245 cubic inches that was good for 100 hp. The chassis number for the Packard Six was 1700, so that’s the reason these cars were also known by this designation. The total number of Six’s produced for 1939 were estimated to be a little more than 24,000.
The Business Coupe, like the seller’s car, was the starting point in the line-up. It was a two-passenger car that had room behind the seat for all kinds of storage. This Packard was found in a chicken barn (coop?) near an almond orchard where it had hidden out for many years. From the photos provided, the car looks to be in genuinely nice shape and wearing its original color of burgundy (another way of saying “repaint”). Other than a few blemishes, its hard to fault this 81-year-old car. The odometer reads 44,000 miles, but the seller questions if that is accurate.
This Packard is said to start easily and runs “like a sewing machine.” That is likely due in part to a bunch of new stuff that has been installed, including a battery, spark plugs and wires and distributor cap; also the carburetor was rebuilt. In addition, the brakes are all-new through and through. The buyer will need to replace the headliner as apparently a mouse used some of that material to build a nest in the trunk. The mouse has since been evicted.
There are quite a few cool things happening with this car. For example, it still wears it’s 1939 World’s Fair license plate from the State of California. The radio is a tube model and works fine after you let it warm up. And the buyer will receive the original owner’s manual and a Packard parts book. I wasn’t able to get a feel as to what the going price of these cars is because they don’t seem to change hands very often. So, the question becomes, given its remarkable original condition, is this a $44,000 car?
Fake dust.
Somehow this listing just doesn’t pass the smell test. It’s clearly a really nice car, but the obligitory dust and barn story just seem to try too hard. Oh, and the price comes in at least about 10K over what appears to be market value.
And finally, you gotta wonder what the interest factor is in a ’39 Packard nowadays. Howard?
This car wears a license from 1939. What does that mean? It means somebody slapped this plate on a restored car car that they allowed to collect a year’s worth of dust, thus creating the illusion of a rare and neglected barn find.
In California the DMV will issue you year of manufacture plates. All you have to do is find a set. There are readily available on eBay and every swapmeet.
Several years ago I found a set of 39 California plates at a garage sale down the street from my house. I Sold them to a friend with a 39 Mercury convertible for $40. He went to the DMV to have them registered to his car, then had them restored, they have been on his car ever since.
Steve R
I would rather spend twenty thousand dollars less for this
https://tinyurl.com/yxe7dw4a and save the rest for another day!
I agree with Jeff, this one is priced about double what it should be.
Why is it that I don’t have enough money or space to buy every car that I love on BF? This Packard is a perfect example. I would love to own it, but the price seems to be a bit excessive.
Bob believe I sympathize LOL
The write up mentions Packard Sixes as One-Twenty, which is inaccurate. A One-Twenty is the flat head 8 cylinder. One-Ten is the designation for the flat head 6 cars. At least that’s how it is with my 1941 110 6 cylinder Packard.
Whole ad seems to be a big “story”.. ever watch “reality TV”.. I mean “scripted TV”.. it’s a joke if you take it seriously and this one is a big joke.. here is the back story (made up)..guy buys it for a few grand.. is a mechanic and a flipper.. so he gets it running..and decides to create a story.. makes one up and put’s it on the market..$44,000.??.. right now with Covid..I guess he figures someone might have a high fever and buy it?.. I think most are just laughing.. good news it served as a great morning laugh and at the end of the day we can all use a good laugh..
It’s fifteen thousand dollars over priced if it IS a restored car. This is what happens when you mix drugs and Barrett-Jackson together
I don’t disagree with Barney. A Packard has been on my wish list for decades and will likely always remain there.
But IF the story is true—and that’s a BIG IF…..It’s still a “Running #3 Car”.
If folks only knew the truth about Barrett Jackson. 10 years ago it was 350.00 just to get a bidder paddle. But, after you paid the 350.00, all the liquor was free. So lots of cars go for inflated prices b/c very wealthy drunk men play “chicken” with their money.
In 2008 I saw a 69 COPO Camaro go for 200K. 4 years ago the same car sold for 80K. So much for “Chicken”
Considering the Running board Mats (not the Boards) range between 800-1300 bucks, and A full set of new window gaskets and weatherstripping is going to put you back about 2500-3000.00, (thank God you can still get it all)……
This car isn’t worth a penny over 25K. Guy just watched too many of them sold on B-J, thinks he’s got a gold mine. To get this car into show condition is going to be in the high 5 figures. If you don’t have 90K to put into it, don’t bother.
The wonderful Packard is $20,000.00 off the mark. If I had the room I would work hard on this one, I am a Packard enthusiast among other brands, but the price is too high and I am not interested in market values.
Russ, As someone who is a self-described Packard “expert”, who has owned a couple of hundred of Packards, your info on the Packard is way off in several parts of your write-up.
This is a series 110, not a 120, that’s an 8.
The Packard 6 first appeared in 1937, not 1935.
The last Packard 6 was in 1950 [but 1948-50 Packard 6 cars were for export, or used in Packard Taxicabs].
The model 1700 was not based on the top speed of 100MPH [Never heard that before]
Concerning the 4 digits 1700, the 17 refers to the 17th series, and the 00 for the basic 6 cylinder series. For example, the next higher series was the small Eight, at chassis 1701. At the other end was the Packard 12 limo, that was series 1708.
It is widely accepted among Packard experts that the smaller Packard cars are what actually saved the company thru the pre-war years, and they sold VERY well. Packard was a profitable company right up until the time they bought Studebaker. Unfortunately the company didn’t know Studebaker was “cooking the books” and was in substantial debt. This was just one of the primary reasons for it’s demise.
This car first appeared on Barn Finds last November for $39K, then again this February for $41K, and now it’s at $44K. Usually if a car doesn’t sell, you lower the price, but maybe the seller has a method to his madness?
Maybe his method is to not sell it. The market value is about $25K.
I am only surmising however when someone is going through a divorce a vehicle may be intentionally and extremely overpriced in turn discouraging potential sales.
They say “Desperate times result in desperate actions”….
Jeff,
Your comment “Desperate times result in desperate actions”…. reminds me of what happened about 30 years ago;
A long time friend [and customer at my restoration shop] was going thru a divorce [cheating wife], and she was demanding 50% of the value of his 1959 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz convertible, a nice unrestored car.
So I suggested he start restoration on the car. Over a weekend when she wasn’t around, with the help of a couple of more car guys, we carefully dismantled the car until it was a body sitting on a bare chassis, on 4 jackstands.
So the wife hit the roof when she came back, but as she’d been trying to get him to restore the car for years, there wasn’t much she could do. What would have appraised out at about $45k, ended up being appraised by HER lawyer, hand-picked appraiser at $10k. My appraisal was $4k. We agreed to list the asset value of the car at $7,500.
The x-wife should have received a knuckler to go along with the going away gift.
It still has the same dust on it that it did the last time it went up for sale. Wonder why the seller can’t find a hose to spray it off.
Neighbor frame off restored a ’36 or ’37 convertible, obtained a brand new “crate” 6 cylinder engine for it, new top, he and friend did most of the rest themselves, including the upholstery. It was a remarkably simple machine, and remarkably sturdy, compared to the Model B Ford the friend had restored previously, and drove a lot when it was not winter or raining. So we got to do a lot of comparisons. This was in NH. They sold it to a Dr. in California who flew into Boston and drove it home, with no problems. So, this could well be a driver good for tours, but not at the price.
I looked at this car a year ago parked outside on a plot of land in Ranch Cordova, California. Sat outside during winter weather for months. I asked the land owner (manager) for permission to look at it since it did have a for sale sign on it. Asking 45k then. It had 1/2″ filler lifting off in areas on it. But it did look fairly complete. I also thought the price way to high